games

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Magnus Carlsen Is Trying to Make Chess Cool

Norwegian champion launches his Take Take Take app to explain matches in a more accessible way

(Newser) - Few chess players enjoy Magnus Carlsen's celebrity status. A grand master at 13, refusing to play an American dogged by allegations of cheating, and venturing into the world of online chess gaming all made Norway's Carlsen a household name. Plus, only legends like Russia's Garry Kasparov and...

We Have a Cheating Scandal in the World of Conkers
Drama in the World
of Conkers Is Over
UPDATED

Drama in the World of Conkers Is Over

UK's Dave Jakins was accused of swapping chestnut for metal in his first win

(Newser) - The drama in the cutthroat world of conkers is at an end, with Dave Jakins, aka "King Conker," now cleared of cheating, reports the Guardian . Jakins had been accused of using a steel conker instead of a regular chestnut in his win at the World Conker Championships, but...

Rio de Janeiro's New Public Enemy: Claw Machines

Cops say they're games of chance because they're rigged, and thus illegal

(Newser) - Rio de Janeiro—already notorious for street muggings, corrupt politicians, ruthless militias, and Kalashnikov-toting drug traffickers—has a new public enemy: plushies. Or, more specifically, the joystick-controlled claw machines that dispense them. As the AP reports, Rio police on Wednesday carried out 16 search warrants targeting the machines that elicit...

Best Way to Stop Phones at the Wheel? Make It a Game

When researchers gamified goals for cutting phone use while driving, they saw huge results

(Newser) - Texting while driving causes hundreds of deaths each year, and despite most licensed drivers knowing the dangers, a large percentage still use their phones while at the wheel. A new study from Progressive insurance company shows that education campaigns only go so far in stopping distracted driving, Ars Technica reports—...

NYT Goes After Worldle, Which Sounds Just a Bit Like Wordle

Owner of word game files legal challenge to similar-sounding geography-themed online game

(Newser) - Played any Worldle lately? Not Wordle (we got you, didn't we)—Worldle, a geography-themed game whose name is so close to the famous online word-based game that the owner of the latter is now going after the former. The BBC reports that the New York Times, which scooped up...

Dave & Buster's Just Made Things a Bit More Interesting

Chain will allow adults to bet on arcade games through its app

(Newser) - Dave & Buster's is embracing betting. The arcade and restaurant chain has partnered with gamification services provider Lucra to allow loyalty members to places bets on arcade games like Skee-Ball and Hot Shots through its app. The technology, to be rolled out over the coming months, will be available...

New York Times Battles Wordle Clones

Developers say their games are at risk of being taken down

(Newser) - The New York Times is fighting off Wordle "clones"—arguing that numerous games inspired by the mega-popular word-guessing game infringe on its copyright protections, the AP reports. Hundreds of copycats have emerged since Wordle skyrocketed to internet fame less than three years ago. And now the Times, which...

At CPAC, Jan. 6 Is 'a Joke and a Game'

Jonathan Linowes says his pinball creation touts 'the truth of what happened'

(Newser) - Conservative Political Action Conference attendees have been having a ball playing a very MAGA-esque version of pinball. Touted as an "educational documentary game," per NewsNation , the game on display in the basement ballroom of Maryland's National Harbor resort claims the fatal shooting of protester Ashli Babbitt as...

Chinese Chess Champ Loses Crown Over Pooping Incident

Yan Chenglong, accused of cheating with anal beads, defecated in hotel tub

(Newser) - There's playing dirty, and then there's celebrating dirty, and allegations of both have gotten the newly crowned king of Chinese chess unceremoniously dethroned. As AFP reports, Yan Chenglong on Dec. 17 won the national title of "Xiangqi King," or king of Chinese chess, a hugely popular...

Have You Gotten 'Whammed' Yet This Holiday Season?
39 Years Later, Wham!
Tops UK Christmas Chart
updated

39 Years Later, Wham! Tops UK Christmas Chart

George Michael wanted a holiday No. 1, Andrew Ridgeley says

(Newser) - The avoidance game that's all the rage apparently is not hurting the popularity of "Last Christmas," released by Wham! 39 years ago. For the first time, the song is top of the Christmas chart in the UK, the BBC reports. Andrew Ridgeley said the other half of...

For Older Set, a 'Generations' Version of Favorite Games

Toymakers tweak classics like Scrabble, Life, Trivial Pursuit to appeal to people 65-plus

(Newser) - Toymakers are tweaking original classic games or coming out with new ones that embrace an audience that's been around for a while: people more than 65 years old. The products are being marketed as a way for older folks to sharpen their brain skills, as well as allay loneliness...

NFL Makes 'Difficult, but Necessary, Decision' on Game

Meanwhile, Hamlin has reached a recovery 'turning point'

(Newser) - When Damar Hamlin woke up Wednesday evening after two days of sedation, the first words he wrote down to a nurse were: "Who won the game?" The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety was referring to the matchup Monday night between his team and the Cincinnati Bengals where he'd collapsed...

A Mysterious Hunt for Cash Is Underway in a Canadian City

Miramichi, New Brunswick, residents can thank Roman Dungarvan, whoever that is

(Newser) - It'll be a Friday the 13th like no other in the small Canadian city of Miramichi. The New Brunswick locale is home to 17,600 people, and someone among them has started hiding $100 bills with sometimes creepy clues leading to them. And on Friday the 13th comes the...

Wordle Is Taking Over the World
Wordle Is
Taking Over
the World
THE RUNDOWN

Wordle Is Taking Over the World

Ad-free word game is a massive online hit

(Newser) - Last year, New York-based programmer Josh Wardle created a game for his partner Palak Shah, a big fan of crosswords and other word games. Fast-forward a few months, and Wordle is taking over the world. The free online game, in which users have six chances to guess a five-letter word,...

James Corden to Revise Game Seen as Anti-Asian
She Called Out James Corden,
Is Now Getting Death Threats
in case you missed it

She Called Out James Corden, Is Now Getting Death Threats

Petition creator Kim Saira wants an apology for segment she sees as anti-Asian

(Newser) - Late Late Show host James Corden has vowed to reform his occasional "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts" segment, but that's not enough for critics who call it racist. Some 46,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding a public apology, a donation to Asian...

Netflix Series Has Made Chess a Hit Again

Viewers of ' Queen's Gambit' have been inspired to play, sending sales of sets soaring

(Newser) - Chess already seemed like a good fit for a pandemic—challenging, competitive, and time-consuming. Sales were up early in the lockdown, as people stuck at home played games of all kinds more. But then, last month, a Netflix miniseries kicked off. "Ever since the Queen's Gambit launched, our...

Game Guy Started at Age 14 Still Going On in His 50s

Robert Wardhaugh began his Dungeons and Dragons marathon in 1982 and hasn't stopped since

(Newser) - Right from the description on his website , you can tell he's serious about gaming: "My name is Robert Wardhaugh and I am the Dungeon Master (DM)." Although Wardhaugh's full-time job is as a history professor at the University of Western Ontario, the Canadian man's unofficial...

Hide-and-Seek Turns Into 'Bit of a Disaster' for Teen

Amari Dancy, 18, had to be rescued from washing machine by firefighters

(Newser) - Amari Dancy doesn't usually play with younger members of her family, but on Sunday she broke down and joined in a game of hide-and-seek. The spot the 18-year-old ultimately chose as her hiding place, however, turned into "a bit of a disaster," per FOX 5 . "We...

Keeping Beyonce Happy Is a Twitter Game You're Bound to Lose

FYI: Wet hair before a show is a no-no

(Newser) - Twitter is playing host to a hit new game, all about whether you could survive a day as Beyonce's assistant without getting fired. "They gotta start giving pulitzers for tweets," New York Times reporter Astead W. Herndon wrote of the choose-your-own-adventure-style thread created by 19-year-old student Landon...

This Game Is Known to Offend. It May Have Gone Too Far

Target pulling Cards Against Humanity's 'Chosen People Pack' off shelves for anti-Semitic content

(Newser) - First Target had a problem with fidget spinners . Now it's taking heat for another item in its toy department, apologizing for a game that's designed to be offensive but looks to have crossed the line. TMZ reports the retailer is pulling an expansion pack for the popular game...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>